Spring-puttee.



E. KAUFMANN.

SPRING PUTTEE.

APPLICATION FlLfD APHl 10. Isla.

Patented 20, 1918.

m. mf Mw ,K d m A YTUHNEYS W/T/VESSES To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, Enix. KAUFMANN, a subject of the Emperor of Germany,but having declared my intention to become a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, inthe county and State of New York, have invented a new `and ImprovedSpring-Puttee, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to leggings or puttees such as are commonly wornby soldiers or oliicers of the army or by Sportsmen, and has particularreference to that type or design of puttee in which the main portion orbody of the device is of a one piece or relatively rigid material asdistinguished from a legging which consists of a spiral wrapping.

More specifically the improvement relates to puttees in which there isprovided a spring member arranged substantially parallel to the freeedge of the outer flap portion which serves as a locking member inconnection with the other flap and also as a stay or stiifener for thefront part of the structure.

Among the objects of this present invention, therefore, is to provideimproved means to prevent the point or prong of the spring fromabrading, scratching or tearing the facing material of that portion ofthe body of the puttee adjacent to the keeper or socket into which thepoint of the spring is inserted.

1With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists inthe arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described andclaimed, and while the invention is not restricted to the exact detailsof construction disclosed or suggested herein, still for the purpose ofillustrating a practical embodiment thereof reference is had to theaccompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate thesame parts in the several views, and in which- Figure l is a perspectiveview showing a putt/ee having my improvement embodied therein.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged front elevation of the keeper portion of theputtee.

Fi 3 is a vertical section of the same on the line 3 3; and

Fig. a is a horizontal section on the line a--t of Fig. 3.

ln carrying out this improvement in a practical embgent it is to beunderstood Pill EMIL KAUIEMANN, OIE' NEW YORK, 1Q'. Y.

Specification of Letters Patent.

hl iQ..

Patented Aug. 20, i918.

Application led April 10, 1918. Serial No. 227,664.

that the vputtee 10 in its general aspects may be of any suitable orwell known design or construction such as sole leather, leather facedwith khaki, or any other suitable structural composition-- In a putteeof this design it is common to employ a steel rib or spring 11 which iscarried within the outer flap 12 and substantially coextensivevertically therewith, while the point 13 of the spring projects withinthe inner face of this portion of the device so as to be projecteddownward into a loop or keeper 14 fixed on the outside of the inner flapl5 near the ankle endthereof. rlhus the spring and keeper constitute aquick and eidective means for locking the lower portion of the puttee inclosed ankle fitting position. A strap 16 carried by the top portionserves then to complete the locking means and prevents the accidentalseparation of the point of the spring from the keeper.

As ordinarily constructed the extreme point of the springV during theaction of in serting it into the keeper is almost sure to abrade or evengouge a. ragged hole through the face of the body of the puttee justabove the keeper and thereby the device is rendered more or lessunsightly and the eiiiciency consequently of the puttee is likewiseaffected. My improvement., therefore, consists in so constructing thekeeper as to prevent all such damaging results due to the point of thespring.

17 indicates a plate preferably of metal and having a iiattened orbeveled upper end 18. .This plate may be secured to the outer face ofthe puttee in any suitable manner, but I have found by providinga pairof slots 19 in the side portions of the plate the side portions 14 ofthe keeper will be passed inward therethrough prior to clenching over onthe inside of the construction, thereby the tongues 2O of the keeperwhich are of less vertical length than the keeper as a whole serve adual purpose of locking the plate snugly against the face of the putteeas well as the locking of the keeper itself. The plate may extend to anydesired point or distance above the top of the keeper and with the endthereof beveled as indicated l secure two immediate results oradvantages. Primarily the point 13 of the spring in the act of lockino`the puttee will strike against the beveled fbace of the plate instead ofthe leather or fabric and thence it will be guided along the platedirectly into the keeper. rlie lieveling or the upper end of the plateoffsets eny liability of the plate constituting an obstruction to thepass-ege of the point along the plate or into the keeper in cese thewearer awkwardly or carelessly' causes suoli point to strike against theluce o1a the puttee prior to ite passage into the keeper or along theplate. lt will be appreciated, however, that the plate constitutes anefectire guard serving to preventtlie epring point from gouging eY holeinto. the face of the leather or fabric.

VYl?urtherinore the plete in itey coaction or cooperation with thekeeper serves ne e reinforcement; l(ind hence e ine-(ine to Steady orstiffen the effect of the. keeper with respe-ct to the body oi theputtee.

Claim:

l. The combination With the body of the putte@ having Vinetzil keeperfixed thereto along' one liep end e. pointed spring Jdried to theopposite Flap for cooperation with the keeper, olE a' inetzrl pletefixed to the ,weeed tiret mentioned flap by means of said keeper andkeying its upper end beveled and eX- tending above the keeperconstituting e guard for the puttee body and e guide for tlieipoint ofthe Spring in its movement into locking position in the keeper.

2. The combination with the body of a puttee haring e nietel keeperfixed thereto along-j one icl-(1p and a, pointed spring` lined to theopposite flap for cooperation with the ieeper, Suid keepeiinclndingsideportions terminating in tongues paseing inward throughA the body or'the puttee and elenchin upon the inside thereof1v ot ef inet-al plate onthe outeideot' the Erst-mentioned flap and having :i pair of slotsthrough which Said tongues of the keeper parse sind Whereby the plate issecured against the body of the puttee, the upper end of the plete e2;-tending; above the keeper and constituting e guard to protect the bodyof the putt-ee from deine-ge from the point of the Spring.`

the Commissioner if etente, 'n 1 u

